Package in the form of a bottle comprising a cushioning means disposed therein

ABSTRACT

A package in the form of a bottle ( 1  to  1″″ ) comprises damping and/or cushioning means ( 5 ) that act on packaged goods placeable in the fill volume ( 3 ) thereof and that are disposed between the packaged goods and the wall of the bottle, which are adapted to substantially automatically align and/or unfold or compress in accordance with the degree of filling of the volume ( 3 ) with packaged goods and to shrink or expand and/or unfold in accordance with the degree of removal of the packaged goods at least until a certain proportion has been removed.

The invention relates to a package in the form of a bottle having adamping and/or cushioning means that acts on packaged goods placeableinside the fill volume of the package and that is disposed between thepackaged goods and the package wall.

In the pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical active substanceformulations are sold in tablet form as coated tablets or as filledcapsules that are packaged inter alia in glass or plastic bottles. Thetablets, coated tablets or filled capsules are packed in the respectivebottles in loose form. The disadvantage of this is that vibrations,knocks or impact that may occur while the package is being transportedor if it falls and strikes a hard surface, lead to breakage of thetablets or deformation of the capsules. These outcomes may be on the onehand the result of the impact, vibrations or knocks being transmitteddirectly from the wall of the bottle to the plain or coated tablets orcapsules in the bottle, or on the other hand the result of the plain orcoated tablets or capsules knocking against one another.

Therefore, to avoid tablet breakage and capsule deformation, inpractice, once the bottle has been filled with the packaged goods,additionally air-filled bags, cushions or cotton wool are placed in thebottle, on top of the packaged goods, in order to attenuate and cushionany external impact and protect the plain or coated tablets or capsules.It is also known to use closures with spring elements disposed thereon,the spring elements pressing on the respective packaged goods in theform of plain or coated tablets or capsules when the closures areclosed, thus stabilising their position within the packaging bottle.

These provisions are still not entirely satisfactory in terms ofstabilising the contents of the package, as it is generally stillpossible for the individual plain or coated tablets or capsules to moverelative to one another. Furthermore, there is room for improvement inthe damping or cushioning of impact acting from outside, as damage tothe contents of the package in the form of broken tablets or misshapencapsules can still be found.

The aim of the invention is to provide a package of the type describedhereinbefore for pharmaceutical packaged goods in the form of plain orcoated tablets or capsules which ensures improved protection for thepackaged goods in transit and prevents tablet breakage or capsuledeformation from occurring.

This aim is achieved according to the invention by the fact that thedamping and/or cushioning means is adapted to at least substantiallyautomatically align and/or unfold or compress in accordance with thedegree of filling of the volume with packaged goods and to shrink orexpand and/or unfold in accordance with the degree of removal of thepackaged goods at least until a certain proportion has been removed.

The damping and/or cushioning means here is advantageously disposed inthe volume that holds the packaged goods, particularly on the base ofthe bottle. Further features and embodiments of the invention willbecome apparent from the other sub-claims.

The invention provides a package in the form of a bottle, having a soft,flexible damping and/or cushioning means which is disposed in particularon the base of the bottle and is automatically aligned when the innervolume or fill space of the bottle is filled, by the action of thefilling material and the resultant application of force, particularlygravity. Damping and/or cushioning means of this kind may be for examplean umbrella-shaped spring element having spring arms that spread outfrom a central point, which rests with the apex or centre of itsconvexity on the base of the bottle, or, alternatively, in a positionrotated through 180°, rests with its spread-out spring arms on the baseof the bottle. When packaged goods in the form of plain or coatedtablets or capsules are placed in the container, the goods first of allpenetrate into the centre of this spring element, which is presented tothe packaged goods in a slightly convex open configuration (or in aclosed configuration, in the position rotated through 180°) and thenforce the spread-open arms apart as the fill volume increases. In thisway, the packaged goods impacting on the spring element align thedamping and/or cushioning means and cause them to unfold. However, thedamping and/or cushioning means may also be a flexible cushion of air orpadding which spreads over the cross-sectional filling area of the baseof the bottle as the packaged goods make contact, and is therebyautomatically aligned and unfolded. Moreover, the damping and/orcushioning material may be constructed as an insert made of elasticallycompressible material or in the form of a concertina-like spring elementor padded cushion. Furthermore, the damping and/or cushioning means maybe a spring-loaded base insert, the spring element region of which iscompressed as the bottle is filled and expands again subsequently as thepackaged goods are removed.

Besides aligning the damping and/or cushioning means the weight of thepackaged goods bearing on them also has the effect of compressing therespective damping and/or cushioning means, compared with their unloadedinitial state, or unfolding them, in the case of the spring element withspreadable spring arms. When packaged goods are then removed from thepackage, the weight acting on the respective damping and/or cushioningmeans is reduced and the respective damping and/or cushioning means areable to unfold and spread out or expand again, or, in the case of thespring element with the spreadable spring arms, retract again. Thus thedamping and/or cushioning means are designed to expand and/or unfold, inaccordance with the degree of removal of the packaged goods, at leastuntil a certain proportion has been removed.

The respective damping and/or cushioning means ensures that shocks orvibrations acting on the bottle from outside are only transmitted to thepackaged goods to a limited extent and are buffered, i.e. cushioned anddamped, by the damping and/or cushioning means. This ensures improvedprotection in transit and reduces the incidence of broken tablets ormisshapen capsules.

The novel configuration of the package is also of particular advantagein that any desiccant that may be required, for example a silica gel toprotect the packaged product from the effects of moisture, can cleverlybe introduced into the packaging and stored therein, particularlywithout making contact with the packaged goods. Preferably, therefore,the base of the bottle or the damping and/or cushioning means comprisesan area filled with a desiccant.

Expediently, the area filled with desiccant is disposed between asurface of the damping and/or cushioning means facing the fill space ofthe bottle that is to be filled with packaged goods and the base of thebottle. The desiccant can thus be disposed under a top surface of therespective damping and/or cushioning means that forms a sort of flexiblebase insert and a fill base surface for the bottle, and the surface ofthe bottle base on the inside of the bottle. The desiccant then has nodirect contact with the packaged goods. This is particularlyadvantageous for packaging bottles having an induction seal.

In order for the damping and/or cushioning means to perform the functionof a base insert with fill a base surface that is variably compressibleand re-expandable depending on the weight of the packaged goods actingthereon, according to a further feature the damping and/or cushioningmeans is constructed as a flexibly compressible or extending insertelement that covers the cross-section of filling above the base of thebottle. The insert element may be a spring-loaded base insert.Accordingly, in one embodiment, the damping and/or cushioning means isconstructed as a spring-loaded base insert. However, the insert elementmay also be in the form of an umbrella-shaped spring element. Therefore,the damping and/or cushioning means is alternatively constructed as anumbrella-shaped spring element which bears particularly with the centreof its convexity on the base of the bottle. According to anotheralternative, the damping and/or cushioning means is in the form of aconcertina-like spring element or padded cushion.

The only important factor in this context is that the variousembodiments of the damping and/or cushioning means are elasticallycompressible, or are constructed to extend or stretch, at least inparts, when subjected to the impact of the packaged goods, and aspackaged goods are removed, in accordance with the amount removed, atleast until a certain proportion has been removed, they either re-expandand unfold or they contract again and moreover when subjected to theimpact of packaged goods for the first time within the bottle they areautomatically aligned so as in particular to cover the fillcross-section at the base entirely or at least substantially.

However, the damping and/or cushioning means may also be constructed asa flexible and/or elastic inner film bag disposed in the bottle, whilein particular a hollow intermediate space is formed at least in partsbetween the inner wall of the bottle and the outer surface of the innerfilm bag. The inner film bag may be designed automatically to retractelastically, at least partly, and/or where an intermediate space ispresent, to be compressed and/or collapsed at least in parts by theaction of additional damping and/or cushioning means disposed in theintermediate space. The inner film bag clings to the packaged goodscontained therein and presses them against one another. This achieves aparticular immobilisation of the packaged goods within the bottle andfurther protection from tablet breakage and capsule deformation.

One embodiment of the invention might envisage that, when an inner filmbag of this kind is used, the hollow intermediate space thus formed isequipped with a soft, flexible damping and/or cushioning means of thekind described hereinbefore. Therefore, additional damping and/orcushioning means is disposed in the intermediate space according to oneof claims 1 to 8.

Most advantageously, the package according to the invention is for thepackaging and transporting of pharmaceutical active substanceformulations in the form of plain or coated tablets or capsules, asthese are particularly prone to breakage and pharmaceutical capsules arerelatively easily deformed. Thus, the bottle is preferably filled withpharmaceutical active substance formulation in the form of plain orcoated tablets or capsules.

Finally, the bottle is expediently made of plastics. Bottles of thiskind can be produced cheaply, particularly by blow-moulding, includingby coextrusion of a number of layers of material. It is particularlyadvantageous that the plastics bottle, the inner film bag and/or thedamping and/or cushioning means are made from a polyurethane elastomer,a cellular polyurethane elastomer, a thermoplastic material,particularly high density polypropylene or polyethylene, or a filmlaminate. For the plastic bottle or film bag it is possible to useplastic films made of polyvinylchloride (PVC), cyclo-olefin-copolymer(COC), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCFE), polyethylene (PE),polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate(PC), polyester (UP), polyacrylate, polyamide (PA) or another plastic ora multi-layer composite plastic film, consisting for example of acombination of polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), which is knownparticularly by the brand name Aclar® registered as a trade mark byHoneywell International, Inc., with polyvinylchloride (PVC) or polyvinylchloride (PVC) with polyvinylidene chloride (PVdC), or alternativelylaminate films of these materials, or in the form of aluminium films orcomposite aluminium films.

It will be understood that the features mentioned above and about to beexplained in more detail hereinafter may be used not only in theparticular combinations specified but in other combinations as well. Thescope of the invention is defined by the claims.

The invention is hereinafter explained more fully by means ofembodiments by way of example with reference to the associated drawings.In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a longitudinal sectionthrough a package according to the invention in a first embodiment,

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a longitudinal sectionthrough a package according to the invention in a second embodiment,

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a longitudinal sectionthrough a package according to the invention in a third embodiment,

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of a longitudinal sectionthrough a package according to the invention in a fourth embodiment and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of a longitudinal sectionthrough a package according to the invention in a fifth embodiment.

The packages 1, 1′, 1″, 1′″ and 1″″ shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 differ only inthe construction of a damping or cushioning means. Consequently,identical elements or objects in all the embodiments have been given thesame reference numerals.

FIG. 1 shows a package in the form of a bottle 1, which is sealed, apartfrom the mouth opening 2, and has the fill volume 3 or a fill spaceinside it. The bottles 1′ to 1″″ in FIGS. 2 to 5 are also constructed inthe same way.

Damping and/or cushioning means 5 is arranged on the bottom 4 of thebottles 1 to 1″″ in each case. The respective damping and/or cushioningmeans 5 is thus provided in the fill volume 3 and are subjected to theimpact of the packaged goods on their upper surface 9 as the bottles 1to 1″″ are filled with the goods on their surface. In the case of thebottles 1′″ and 1″″ according to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, packaged goods 24act on the inside of the respective film bag 21.

In the case of a filled bottle 1, 1′, 1″ the respective damping and/orcushioning means 5 acts on the packaged goods in the respective bottle1, 1′, 1″ and is located between the wall of the bottle, in this casethe base 4 of the bottle, and adjoining wall regions and the packagedgoods (not shown). The respective damping and/or cushioning means 5 hasflexible, resilient, compressible spring element regions 6, 7, 8, theupper surface 9 of which forms a fill base surface within the respectivebottle 1, 1′, 1″. Each of the damping and/or cushioning means 5 isconstructed as a flexibly compressible insert element covering the fillcross-section of the fill volume 3 above the base 4 of the bottle. Bythe fill cross-section is meant the cross-sectional area within therespective bottle 1, 1′, 1″ which is filled with packaged goods. Therespective insert element is inserted diagonally, for example, into themouth opening 2 and then falls onto the base 4 of the bottle, where itcomes to rest. By gently shaking the bottle, the respective base insert10, 18, 27 or the respective damping and/or cushioning means 5 areroughly aligned. Accurate alignment then takes place later as a resultof the packaged goods placed in the respective bottle 1, 1′, 1″, whichpress the base insert into the position of use shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 andalign it accordingly.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 1 the damping and/or cushioningmeans 5 is constructed as a flexibly compressible insert element in theform of a spring-loaded base insert 10. The base insert 10 comprises onits upper surface 9 a fill base surface 11 which is supported by acompression spring 12 bearing on the base 4 of the bottle.

The damping and/or cushioning means 5 according to FIG. 2 is constructedas a flexibly compressible insert element with a base insert 27 in theform of an umbrella-shaped spring element 13 which bears on the base 4of the bottle with the spread side of its spring arms 14 that spread outfrom a central point 15. However, it is also possible to arrange theumbrella-shaped spring element 13 on the bottle base 4 so that it restswith its central point 15 on the bottle base 4. The upper surface 9 thatis thus associated with the fill volume 3 then forms a fill base surface26 of the base insert 27 of the bottle 1′.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 3 the damping and/or cushioningmeans 5 therein are constructed as a flexible, compressible insertelement in the form of a concertina-like spring element 16 or cushionedpad. The concertina-like spring element 16 consists of compressible sidewall regions 17 and a base insert 18 disposed thereon, which constitutesa fill base surface 28 on its upper surface 9. In addition, inside theconcertina-like spring element 16 there is also a region 19 that isfilled with a desiccant 20. The region 19 filled with the desiccant 20is disposed between the upper surface 9 of the base insert 19, whichforms the fill base surface 28 of the damping and/or cushioning means 5facing the fill volume 3 of the bottle 1″ that is to be filled withpackaged goods, and the base 4 of the bottle.

Each of the damping and/or cushioning means 5 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 isconstructed by virtue of its springy, flexible and compressible designwith spring element regions 6, 7, 8, so that, on the one hand, when thefill volume 3 is filled with packaged goods, the presence of thepackaged goods impacting on its upper surface 9 causes it to beautomatically aligned on the base 4 of the bottle so that its regionforming a base insert 10, 18, 27 or a fill base surface 11, 26, 28 abovethe base 4 of the bottle covers the cross-section of filling of the fillvolume 3. Moreover, the respective damping and/or cushioning means 5 isconstructed, by virtue of their flexible, compressible and springydesign, so that they are compressed under the weight of the load ofpackaged goods, but then re-expand and unfold or open out again aspackaged goods are removed from the fill volume 3. The damping and/orcushioning means 5 retains this property and function at least until acertain proportion of packaged goods has been removed.

The packaged goods envisaged for the bottles 1 to 1″″ shown in FIGS. 1to 5 consist of a pharmaceutical active substance formulation in theform of plain or coated tablets or capsules which are better protectedin transit thanks to this packaging.

The bottles 1 to 1″″ and the damping and/or cushioning means 5 may bemade from any common conventional plastics that are suitable andpermitted for the packaging of pharmaceutical active substanceformulations. The respective bottles 1 to 1″″ are preferably produced bya plastic blow-moulding process, particularly an extrusion process,while the damping and/or cushioning means 5 may be produced by injectionmoulding.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show packages in the form of bottles 1′″, 1″″, which havean inner film bag 21 on the inside forming the damping and/or cushioningmeans 5. The inner film bag 21 is designed to be automatically at leastpartly elastically retractable and/or at least partly compressibleand/or collapsible by the effect of the force of additional dampingand/or cushioning means 23 disposed in a hollow intermediate space 22.The inner film bag 21 clingingly envelops the packaged goods 24contained therein, pressing them against one another. On the inside ofthe mouth opening 2 of the bottle 1′″, 1″″ in question, the inner filmbag 21 is secured by welding or gluing or sealing. For filling, reducedpressure is applied to the inside of the respective bottle 1′″, 1″″through an opening 25 formed in the wall of the bottle, thereby applyingthe inner film bag 21 to the interior wall of the bottle. Then theinside of the inner film bag 21 is filled with the packaged goods 24 andthe reduced pressure is removed. The inner film bag 21 thenautomatically contracts, as it is made to be elastically expandable. Inaddition, it subsequently contracts further as the packaged goods areremoved, at least until a certain proportion has been removed. Thus, theinner film bag 21 is also to be understood as being damping and/orcushioning means designed to align itself automatically as the fillvolume 3 is filled with packaged goods 24 and/or to expand and/or unfoldto a degree corresponding to the removal of the packaged goods, at leastuntil a certain proportion has been removed. The walls of the film bag21 and the intermediate space 22, particularly if it is provided withthe additional damping and/or cushioning means 23, cause buffering anddamping of shocks or vibrations acting on the respective bottles 1′″,1″″ from outside. The additional damping and/or cushioning means 23 maybe one of the insert elements 10, 13, 16, or alternatively may be aninsert of flexibly compressible material, such as foam, for example.

1. Package in the form of a bottle (1 to 1″″) having damping and/orcushioning means (5) which acts on goods for packaging that may beplaced in its fill volume (3) and which are disposed between the goodsand the wall of the bottle, characterised in that the damping and/orcushioning means (5) is constructed to be substantially automaticallyaligned and/or unfolded or compressed as the fill volume (3) is filledwith goods, and to contract or expand and/or unfold as goods areremoved, at least until a certain proportion has been removed. 2.Package according to claim 1, characterised in that the damping and/orcushioning means (5) is disposed in the fill volume (3) that holds thegoods on the base (4) of the bottle.
 3. Package according to claim 1,characterised in that the bottle base (4) or the damping and/orcushioning means (5) comprises a region (19) filled with a desiccant(20).
 4. Package according to claim 3, characterised in that the region(19) filled with the desiccant (20) is disposed between a surface (9) ofthe damping and/or cushioning means (5) facing the fill volume (3) ofthe bottle (1, 1′, 1″) that is to be filled with the goods and the base(4) of the bottle.
 5. Package according to claim 1, characterised inthat the damping and/or cushioning means (5) is constructed as aflexibly compressible or extending insert element that covers thecross-section of filling above the base (4) of the bottle.
 6. Packageaccording to claim 1, characterised in that the damping and/orcushioning means (5) is constructed as a spring-loaded base insert (10).7. Package according to claim 1, characterised in that the dampingand/or cushioning means (5) is constructed as an umbrella-shaped springelement (13) that rests with the centre (15) of its convexity on thebase (4) of the bottle.
 8. Package according to claim 1, characterisedin that the damping and/or cushioning means (5) is constructed as aconcertina-like spring element (16) or padded cushion.
 9. Packageaccording to claim 1, characterised in that the damping and/orcushioning means (5) is a flexible and/or elastic inner film bag (21)disposed in the bottle (1′″, 1″″), while at least in parts a hollowintermediate space (22) is formed between the inner wall surface of thebottle (1′″, 1″″) and the outer surface of the inner film bag (21). 10.Package according to claim 9, characterised in that additional dampingand/or cushioning means (5, 23) is arranged in the intermediate space(22).
 11. Package according to claim 1, characterised in that the bottle(1 to 1″″) is filled with a pharmaceutical active substance formulationin the form of plain or coated tablets or filled capsules.
 12. Packageaccording to claim 1, characterised in that the bottle (1 to 1″″) is aplastic bottle.